Chapter 9: The Type Who Feels Disgusted (9/302)

Chapter 9: The Type Who Feels Disgusted

May 2, 2023

Mahrad's eyes widened. He quickly glanced at Megara, and when she gave him a slight glare, he became dejected.

The few upperclassmen who understood the meaning of the word looked at Neris with different eyes. Sir Voltaire took back the baton from Neris and then spoke to Megara.

"My class only proceeds with students who can keep up. You were recommended by Mrs. Hoffman to join this class, right?"

"…Yes."

"After class, I will give you a simple Berlen language test, so don't go to the next class. I'll write a card explaining the situation, so you don't have to worry about being late."

Megara's face turned pale.

"What about Neris? Is he taking the test too?"

"Neris Trüd's skills seem to be sufficiently proven."

Skills. At that word, Megara's expression turned nasty. She asked cautiously in a thinner voice than usual.

"Teacher, what happens if… I don't pass the test?"

"You'll have to go to a class that matches your level. The academy places great importance on appropriate learning difficulty. You can't always rely on your partner to give you the answers, can you? If your partner doesn't know the answer, you'll get it wrong too."

Megara and Mahrad's faces turned pale. Sir Voltaire knew that Mahrad had been giving Megara the answers.

Neris watched the scene with a sense of satisfaction.

***

The rumor that Megara Rikandros was kicked out of the advanced foreign language class due to her lack of skills spread quickly.

Megara's followers attacked Sir Voltaire and Neris, claiming something was off, but not all the freshmen joined in the attack. Neris, who was used to being criticized for any reason, found this surprising.

Especially, Diane's reaction was surprisingly favorable towards Neris.

"That girl is really strange. She just followed you because she was jealous of you being first. Why is she criticizing you when she failed because of her own lack of skills?"

"Jealous." The accuracy of Diane's expression, who didn't know much about Megara, made Neris laugh and stare at Diane.

He felt a bit of regret. Was he that easy to understand?

The young Neris genuinely believed that Megara paid so much attention to him because he was that strange and unpleasant to others.

Indeed, people found Neris unpleasant not only at school but also in society. The common complaints were:

- Ugly and skinny, yet shamelessly hoping someone likes you despite having no charm.

- Claiming to be great without any remarkable skills, making it unbearable to look at.

- Usually having a gloomy expression, and when she smiles, it's so disgusting that it shocks people.

"Though it's all true."

When he first heard such comments, he didn't understand them well. Since Neris had never been interested in others' appearances, he had never evaluated his own looks.

When he was very young, before entering the academy, he seemed to have heard a lot of compliments about his appearance.

However, after hearing such complaints multiple times, when he looked in the mirror, he found his own face repulsive and quickly looked away.

When she became the crown princess, the portrait painted by the artist made her look beautiful, but since it revealed her distinctive features, it made her feel bad, similar to when she looked in the mirror.

Of course, she started to be more careful not to smile unintentionally.

Thinking back, not everyone who was described as "ugly," "gloomy," and "arrogant" like Neris was openly ostracized.

In fact, everyone except Neris had friends.

There must have been a reason why Megara started to dislike Neris at first, and the current Neris roughly understood it.

Besides having good grades, Megara had other reasons to react to Neris.

The purple eyes, a characteristic of the Elantria family, had not appeared for over a hundred years, but children with purple eyes occasionally appeared in various families.

People in society believed that all purple eyes revealed the Elantria family's bloodline, and being related to such an old and prestigious family was a matter of pride.

The royal family and the Elantria family knew what a true Zian was, but they didn't tell other families. After all, no successor with a Zian had been born in the main family.

Later, when Neris manifested the Zian, it was revealed that the purple eyes passed down as a precious trait belonged only to her, but the habit of valuing purple eyes remained unchanged.

Given her pride in her appearance, Megara must have been bothered by Neris's looks.

"Right."

Agarad, who had been rejected coldly but still sat nearby, seemed to have found a reason to talk to Neris and enthusiastically agreed.

Neris only said what was necessary to Agarad and never acted friendly, but Diane was on Neris's side even with such cold behavior.

To Diane, Agarad was the type who felt disgusting. He wanted to be part of the group but had neither good grades nor high status, so he seemed to cling to Neris, whom he considered easy to approach.

Diane, who grew up in a wealthy family and was loved, knew the habits of flatterers even at a young age. They acted like tongues in front of you but turned their backs when there was nothing to gain.

To Diane, Agarad was exactly that kind of person and was despised. On the other hand, she felt that Neris's refusal to befriend such a flatterer was a sign of wisdom.

"It's funnier that people think Neris is easy to approach."

Neris was superior to children from wealthy families who received strict education in every aspect. Her attire was modest, but she had never been seen in a disheveled state.

Diane liked her more and more. The worry before entering the academy about not being able to make friends felt foolish. With someone like this.

"But Neris doesn't seem to like me much."

Thinking this, Diane became dejected. Why doesn't she like me? I haven't done anything to make her dislike me.

Is she shy? Should we spend more time together?

The last one seemed to be the answer.

Neris was too smart, and they didn't share many classes. Her dorm was far away—Neris's room was in a shared building with only one maid per student, with many stairs. It was not a place Diane would consider.

"I should throw a party next time."

Diane decided. It would be fine even if it was just the two of them, and inviting other peers would also be good. She had already received invitations to their parties, so it was necessary to host a return party.

Playing together would be fun. Definitely.

Meanwhile, Neris found Diane merely strange.

Neris had no particular grudge against Diane but didn't trust her, so she didn't treat her well. Why does she keep sitting next to me and act like a friend?

Who likes Neris?

Anyway, the current kindness wasn't bad. It was almost the first time she had sat with someone in the school cafeteria, so Neris looked around with a fresh feeling.

Even if this girl turns her back and joins the ostracism, what does it matter? If that's all Neris is given, she will become stronger.

***

"There's an outstanding student among the new freshmen."

Prince Abelus's words made Nelyssion smile.

His kind and intellectual smile had a great effect on the female members of the student council. Sometimes it even affected the male members.

"Yes, there are a few."

"Having talented students is a good thing. It would be great if they grow up to be excellent adults who can prosper the royal family."

Abelus spoke arrogantly. A girl with ginger hair approached him with a coquettish face.

Abelus smiled at her.

"Tashi."

Natasha, with her ginger hair, was the most noticeable beauty among the students in her grade and all the students who had attended the academy in recent years.

Moreover, being the daughter of the Grünhals Duke, it was natural for her to join the student council and be close to Abelus. Unless something special happened, Natasha Grünhals would be the closest to the crown princess.

But we'll see. Nelyssion thought coldly behind his kind face while watching the two.

The Elantria family had ambitions. It didn't matter who Abelus played with before they were realized, but when everything was over, the only person who would become the crown princess would be Nelyssion's younger sister, Valentine. That was the family's decision.

"Your Highness, I've brought the test answer sheets of the freshmen you mentioned."

Natasha said in a sweet voice, handing a stack of papers to Abelus. Nelyssion showed interest. Abelus was interested in the freshmen's tests?

"Your Highness, what's on the test?"

"Thanks, cute Tashi. Nelyssion, take a look. The blonde girl your family sponsored got a perfect score."

"Yes, Your Highness."

The student council had already been turned upside down by this. Abelus untied the string holding the stack of papers and quickly flipped through the pages.

"Let's see, Lianon Berta, Alekto Islani… Here it is, Megara Rikandros… She asked something she couldn't eat to Hoffman and was embarrassed, disappointing… Ah, found it."

Abelus pulled out several answer sheets with "Neris Trüd" written on them and placed them aside. Nelyssion, also interested, pulled out the one at the bottom and examined it.

Confusion soon appeared on his face.

"Is this a freshman's handwriting?"

"The other answer sheets are the same. When I asked the teachers who taught her, they said she writes like an adult. Even her board writing is beautiful. Nelyssion, did your family teach her?"

"No, we only found out about Neris's existence recently."

There was no reason for the main family to check on a distant relative, especially one who had been expelled from the family after marrying a low-ranking knight.

If a Zian hadn't been born, they would have continued to cut off contact.

Nelyssion recalled Neris's face. She was modestly dressed but had a delicate and beautiful appearance. Plus, she had a Zian.

This child would be useful. His instinct had been telling him that since he first met Neris.

"How could she write so well? Could you have written such an answer in your first year?"

Abelus handed Nelyssion the imperial history test paper.

Nelyssion was amazed at how clear, concise, and information-rich the answers were. If he didn't know the situation, he would have thought a teacher wrote it.

Wait, a teacher? Nelyssion's face suddenly became cautious. Abelus laughed mischievously.

"Mahrad En raised an issue. How can there be a perfect score on the freshmen's ability assessment test? It must have been leaked or copied. In either case, it seems there's teacher misconduct, so he asked for an investigation."

"Even if someone gave her the answers, it's impressive to memorize and write this much content."

"I agree. Anyway, since a complaint was filed, I called the teacher. I called Voltaire and asked for his opinion. Do you know what he said?"

"What did he say?"

"He said her Berlen language is native-like, and her sacred language is also quite advanced. She freely conversed with Ren Phael."

Abelus looked at Nelyssion's surprised face with amusement. The usually mysterious guy can make such an expression.

"So, let me ask. Did this kid grow up in a temple?"

"Are you asking if she's the illegitimate child of a priest? No. I sent someone to investigate where she lived. Her mother married her father in front of the lord and has lived there from then until recently. The timing of Neris's birth is also not suspicious."

"Is that so? Then she's a genius?"

Abelus laughed. But there was something sinister in his laughter.

"A genius, in the usual sense."